Chasing Moments
by Claddagh10
Summary: This is set sometime after "The House Guest".  Circumstances force Damon to get Elena out of town, leaving Stefan behind in Mystic Falls.  Elena struggles with her growing attraction to Damon, while Damon struggles to be the man she needs him to be.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Okay...for those of you who follow my General Hospital stories and are getting an author update...I'm so sorry! This is my first Vampire Diaries fic. I have become totally obsessed with this show and felt compelled (no pun intended, lol) to write a Damon/Elena story. **

**I am still planning on continuing my GH fics, but this story wormed its way into my head and I tried to ignore it, but it's not leaving! **

**Basically this is starting off sometime after "The House Guest". I don't really know where I'm going with it yet, but I needed Damon and Elena to get away from Stefan for awhile (and I think all Delena shippers know what I mean). And this is what came from that. **

**I hope you like it! I'm going outside of my comfort zone a little bit, but I'm trying to really work on my writing skills and this is a super fun way to do that. Please note that while this chapter is not necessarily using my 'M' rating, further chapters definitely will. Anyone who has read my other fics can testify to that. ;)**

**Anyway, that's enough yapping from me. I am open to any and all criticism. What I want to do is tell a good story, so if I do, or don't...please feel free to let me know.**

**Oh, one more thing. I have never read TVD books. This is based soley off what I've seen of the show. I own nothing...just having a little fun since we are on yet ANOTHER hiatus!**

**Cheers! **

**Kelly**

* * *

The first thing she noticed was her lack of clothing.

The second was that she wasn't alone.

When she turned her head, the third stared back at her, unblinking, his eyes blue and intense.

As the memories came flooding back, she gasped lightly and bit her lip. His eyes darkened with lust, and she immediately stopped.

_Oh, God_, she thought. _What have I done?_

8 HOURS EARLIER

Damon glanced at her for what felt like the hundredth time and rolled his eyes. She sat stiffly, arms folded across her chest, staring through the window of his car outside at the pouring rain.

"Elena."

She lifted her chin slightly, still refusing to look at him.

"You'll give in eventually, you know," he said with certainty. "I can be very persuasive."

Nothing.

Sighing, he pulled the car onto a long driveway. Raindrops fell heavily on the car, and thunder rolled in the distance as he navigated the gravel path. Rocks bounced up, pinging against the metal, and he scowled in irritation.

And then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught her. He looked at her more fully as she tried to conceal the quirk of her lips, but it was too late. He could see the change in her facial muscles as she bit the inside of her cheeks.

"Oh, thank you very much, Elena," he drawled. "I'm so glad you find the fact that this insanely barbaric driveway is going to cost me a new paint job is funny."

Now she was the one to roll her eyes. "Really, Damon? You're worried about the paint on your precious car? Because I kind of thought we had slightly bigger problems at the moment. And yes," she said, her voice rising as she shifted in her seat to glare at him, "I do think it's funny. I think karma is a bitch, and she is getting you back for dragging me out to the middle of nowhere when what we _need_ to be doing is figuring out a way to stop Klaus with everyone else back in Mystic Falls."

Damon reached the house and braked hard before shifting the car into park. Turning in his seat to face her, he leaned forward, locking his eyes onto hers. She held her ground, not breaking the eye contact. The only sign she gave that she was uncomfortable was to lean back, slightly away from him. He could hear her pulse speed up as he hovered, inches from her.

"Karma might be a bitch, Elena," he said in a low voice, "but I've had a lot of experiences with bitches. Get your shit, and get in the house. Because I will not hesitate to carry you in there myself."

He heard the hitch in her breath as he moved his hand to rest on her hip, and he could have sworn he felt a spark of electricity, even through her jeans. He dropped his gaze to her mouth for a brief second before flicking back up to her eyes. She looked slightly panicked, but he could still hear her heart thundering, scrambling as he brushed his thumb once against her thigh.

And he heard her release the breath she'd been holding when he pressed the button to unlock her seatbelt.

Then he was gone. Elena peered through the window and saw him already on the front porch with various bags, unlocking the door.

She took a deep breath. She knew he wasn't kidding when he said he would carry in the house himself. Obviously she was stuck here with him. She pulled out her phone, hoping to call Stefan and just hear his voice once before going inside. She groaned in frustration as the phone beeped twice quickly, and then died in her hand. Hopefully she'd remembered her charger. Damon had stood guard while she packed, forcing her to hurry, and she couldn't remember if she'd grabbed everything she needed. She clenched her teeth. Just one more reason to be angry at him, she thought, shooting a dirty look up to the house.

She stepped out into the rain and tossed her bag over her shoulder before slamming the car door and hurrying to the covered front porch.

At least if she was angry with him, she wouldn't feel…anything else…toward him.

Theoretically.

Elena dashed up the steps of the porch and stopped in front of the open door. She turned around in time to see lightening streak through the sky. Thunder answered almost immediately with a loud, growling clap. She loved storms, always had, and right now she just wanted to watch this one. The wind picked up, blowing wet hair into her face, and she shivered slightly, crossing her arms to rub some warmth back into her body.

At the next flash of light, the next roar of thunder, she felt a tingling in her shoulder-blades. She knew he would be there when she turned.

Sure enough, he stood in the open doorway watching her. He hadn't changed into dry clothes yet, and the button up shirt he wore clung to his skin. The sleeves were rolled up slightly, and water glistened on muscled forearms. His hair seemed even darker than normal when it was wet, and she got a sudden flash of how he would look after a shower.

She swallowed.

Apparently theory was as much of a bitch as karma.

* * *

It was the second time in a number of minutes that he'd heard her pulse race, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He watched as she lifted her head up, listening to the rain, the thunder, the wind swirling through the trees. Rubbing herself as though she was cold, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her.

He knew the instant she sensed him, and he wondered at it. She had no heightened awareness, at least, not in the same way he did. So how was it that, even though he'd walked to the door silently, she knew he was there?

When their eyes met, he had to actively work at keeping his expression calm. But he knew immediately that it hadn't worked. He saw her recognize something, something in his eyes, maybe, that he tried to hide whenever he was with her. He hadn't planned on this time alone with her. Hadn't planned on Stefan being drafted to work with Bonnie and her fellow witches. But as soon as Bonnie had gotten her powers back, she somehow took charge of the whole situation. One thing was certain. Elena needed to disappear for awhile, while the plan was put into motion and Bonnie worked on the spell. Stefan was the obvious choice to take Elena away. But Bonnie and her cousins needed to be protected too. Unfortunately, Bonnie didn't trust Damon at all. And was completely unwilling to put her cousins in his hands.

So Stefan, albeit reluctantly, had offered to stay in Mystic Falls with the witches, and Damon would take care of getting Elena out of town. Elena had been less than thrilled. Had actually been downright against the entire plan. Too bad, Damon had told her. Now they'd they had all agreed to work together, everyone had to do what needed to be done.

He didn't take her to her lake house. It was too obvious a choice. Not to mention the fact that the place was connected to Elena in every way. Damon refused to admit the feeling of not wanting to be there after her getaway with Stefan a couple of weeks ago. He knew he'd be able to sense whatever had happened in that house. It was hard enough blocking out the moments Stefan and Elena spent together in the boarding house. He had no intention of struggling to put his emotions on hold and trying to keep Elena safe at the same time. Luckily, Damon hadn't existed for over a hundred years without learning a few tricks. This house had been on the market for ages. The last owners were deceased and without surviving relatives, so no invitation was necessary. Just a stop on the way to compel the realtor, and the place was theirs.

What Damon hadn't counted on was Elena. She was much more...composed...when Stefan was nearby. She rarely let her guard down with Damon in Mystic Falls anymore, save a few special circumstances, and always when Stefan was otherwise occupied.

But now they were alone together. Completely isolated from the world. He knew she wasn't happy about the situation, but he'd never have believed it was anything other than her wanting to be in Mystic Falls with Stefan. She'd fought with him bitterly as he watched her pack, tossing things into her bag at random. He fought a smile as he remembered her searching her underwear drawer. Then on the drive, she'd all but ignored him, until the last few moments. When he'd leaned across the car to unlock her seat belt, the air had _crackled _with tension.

Damon tried to pull himself together. This was no big deal. So she was aware of him, physically. He knew that. He also knew that she would struggle against it. He didn't blame her. But it was going to be damn hard to ignore her reaction every time he got close to her.

It pissed him off.

"Planning on sleeping out here?"

Her eyes flickered away from his for a beat. Then she shifted the bag on her shoulder and walked past him into the house.

He stood still for a moment, just breathing in the scent of her.

This was going to hard. He glanced down at himself and thought ruefully, _in more ways than one_.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**I know this is a fairly short chapter, but I really wanted to end it there. I've already started on chapter 3, which I think will be quite a bit longer. I was very impatient to get this one out, though.**

**And by this, I mean, of course, the steady move the the M rating. ;)**

**So enjoy! Thank you very much for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. Being new to TVD community, I wasn't sure what the response would be like. To those of you who reviewed, THANK YOU SO MUCH! It's so rewarding to hear feedback...any feedback, and I really appreciate it. **

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* * *

**

Elena stood in the shower, letting the hot water beat down on her body. Tilting her head up, she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the almost certain knowledge that this trip was a bad idea.

Damon was downstairs, cooking, of all things. She was incredibly frustrated. Everyone was trying so hard to make sure nothing happened to her, but they didn't understand how utterly _useless_ she felt. And now she'd been literally sent away, as though she would do nothing more than get in the way if she stayed in Mystic Falls. And it had to be so hard for Damon, who was nothing if not a "take charge" kind of guy. For him to have to be babysitting her this way, not taking part in any of the planning, was mortifying.

She closed her eyes as steam began to swirl around the room. Okay, fine. So that wasn't the only reason she felt on edge about this whole situation.

Damon was so…in her _space_. Like, _all_ the time. Even when he was across the room, all it took was one look from him for her to feel as though he was physically overtaking her.

She turned to rinse her hair, dragging her hands through its full length. It was just going to take a little focus, that's all. She loved Stefan, she truly did. But she couldn't avoid the voice inside her mind.

_But what if you're not __in love_ _with him anymore?_

She shook her head. Now was not the time to be second guessing her relationship. There was no law that said you couldn't be attracted to another person while you were in a relationship. Just no acting on that attraction, right? She reached for her body wash and poured a generous amount into her palm. Almost unwillingly, her thoughts kept drifting back to that word.

Attraction.

Damon.

Her hands were full of soap as she ran them over her body, idly passing across her breast. She bit her lip as she felt her nipple harden.

Damon.

Attraction.

_Damon._

Her hand trailed across to her other breast, and this time she took the nipple between her thumb and forefinger, tugging lightly. And thought about his hands. How they would feel running over her body. She knew instinctively that he wouldn't be gentle, and her body responded instantly to the thought. Images flashed through her mind as her hand dipped lower.

_Damon stepped into the shower, naked, and already hard. He closed the distance between them and took the soap from her hands before turning her to face the shower wall, stepping close behind her so that her back was against his chest. His hands gripped her waist as he bent his head, his mouth brushing over her shoulder. The lather on his hands trailed over her smooth stomach, dragging tantalizingly lower before moving back up her body. Her breasts were full and firm in his hands, and he cupped them, feeling their weight and bounce. He stayed away from her nipples, instead drawing lazy circles around the outside of each breast, moving closer and closer with each turn, but agonizingly slowly. He leaned over her, watching from over her shoulder, pressing his lips to her neck, suckling lightly, but drawing no blood, as her breath came out in gasps and her nipples hardened in front of his eyes. When he finally tugged, rolling her aching nipples with his fingers, she let out a cry and melted against him._

_God, he felt huge. She leaned back against him as his hands claimed her body, and he groaned sexily in her ear as her butt pressed against his erection. When he allowed his hand to trail down her stomach, over to her thigh, and then the inside of her thigh, she trembled. When he slid a finger through the folds of her sex, she let out a gasp and hitched an arm backwards around his neck. Turning her head, her mouth found his, and their lips met in bruising, open-mouthed kisses. One hand still sliding back and forth, up and down, never giving her what she truly wanted but driving her mad at the same time, building the pressure steadily. His other hand grasped at her breast, and she pushed back against him once more, pushing herself fully into his hands, needing more, aching for more._

_Suddenly her back was flat against the wall, staring into his eyes, breathing heavily. His mouth claimed hers once more, his hands getting lost in her wet, tangled hair. The water beat down on them both, and she broke away, desperate for air. Damon bent low, taking one tight nipple in mouth and at the same time, shoved her leg up and over so that it rested on the low seat of the shower stall, before sliding one finger into her welcoming heat. She let out a strangled cry as he hummed against her breast, and when she looked down, he was staring straight into her eyes. His tongue flicked out, he kept his eyes on her as he slowly licked around and over her nipple. It was the most erotic moment of her life. His eyes were almost hypnotic, his tongue laved over her, drinking her in, and she watched, unable to look away. His finger was moving quickly, and he slid another one in, curving into her, forcing another moan from her lips. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall as the pressure mounted. His thumb found her clit, circling it slowly, and she felt herself begin to clench around him. He bit lightly at her nipple, and she gasped his name. His fingers still inside her, thrusting, curving, and he kissed and licked his way up her chest, over her collarbone, up to her mouth, over to her ear._

"_Come for me. Let go, Elena."_

_His whisper, the huskiness in his voice, sent her over the edge. Crying out his name again, she let the orgasm take her over. As she exploded around him, her eyes found his once again, and he watched her ride it out._

_Her body shook with tiny aftershocks as he removed his hand, and he slowly brought his fingers to his mouth. Licking slowly as he had licked at her nipple, he closed his eyes for a moment to savor her taste. Then, with that familiar smirk that she loved to hate, he brought his finger to her mouth, where she parted her lips, sucking, licking, and his eyes darkened. _

Jesus Christ.

She opened her eyes and looked blankly around at the steam still swirling through the bathroom. Shit. She took a shaky breath and reached down to turn the water off. Her heart was pounding. Never had she had such an intense orgasm from pleasuring herself.

Oh God. He couldn't know, right? The water had been running, and she'd been pretty lost in her fantasy...but...had she said his name out loud? Oh God, oh God, oh God.

* * *

In the kitchen, Damon stood in shock, the knife he'd been using to cut vegetables hanging limply at his side.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Wow, you guys! I am so incredibly thankful to all of you who have reviewed! I never expected anything like this, and I'm so glad you are enjoying the story. Every time I get an email that someone else has reviewed, or requested alerts, in my mind I jump up and down on a pink canopy bed like a 4 year old. So thanks for giving me that thrill! :)**

**As you can see, I'm taking the timeline pretty slowly. As a matter of fact, this whole story might only take place over a couple of days. I know many of you are anxious to see the lead up to the opening paragraph in chapter 1, and I can tell you that the next chapter will finally get there. **

**This may seem like a bit of a filler chapter, but I felt it was necessary. Hopefully not a total bore.**

**I'll shut up now. Thanks again for reading!**

**

* * *

**

They ate at the little table in the kitchen. Outside, the thunderstorm raged on, and the sky had darkened into night. One large branch continued to hit the kitchen window, and Elena had to fight not to jump each time it happened. She twirled the pasta on her plate and tried to relax.

Damon was being unusually quiet. She stole another glance at him, her mind racing. He hadn't said anything that led her to believe he'd heard her in the shower. Which was _very_ unlike Damon. If he had heard her, he would have said _something_. Teased her mercilessly, made a suggestive remark, given her that trademark smirk...

But he just sat there, eating pasta, drinking wine. She tried to relax, took a drink from her own glass. Then another, larger gulp. Then one more.

Damon raised an eyebrow as she sat the empty glass down and fidgeted in her chair. And now he did smirk as he reached for the bottle, poured her another full glass. This was by far one of the more interesting dinners he'd ever had. After gathering himself to finish cooking, he'd decided to let Elena sweat a little bit. She had to have known he'd heard her in the shower. A woman didn't spend almost every waking moment with vampires without picking up a few things, and Elena had caught on right away to the fact that he and Stefan had super-sensitive hearing. Now it was just a matter of figuring out what to do about it.

But in the meantime...

He poured himself more wine and watched as she took another big drink. She had all but forgotten her dinner now. Well, if she wanted to drink away her issues, he sure as hell wasn't going to stop her. It's not like they were going anywhere.

* * *

"Okay, this is _not _fair!"

"You're just being a sore loser."

"Damon. How many times have you played this game?"

He tossed the playstation remote onto the coffee table and leaned back, spreading his arms along the back of the couch comfortably. "Stop pouting," he drawled, reaching out to flick her bottom lip with his finger. "You just don't know all the shortcuts. Not my fault."

"I'm not pouting," she pouted, slouching back against the couch and glaring at her own remote, trying not to touch her lip where his finger had grazed it. "This thing doesn't work right." She glanced around the room, recognizing for the first time the number of wine bottles that cluttered the table. Elena narrowed her eyes. "You got me drunk," she said accusingly, pointing a finger into Damon's chest. "You did that on purpose."

Damon shrugged. "I didn't pour it down your throat. You did that all by yourself. I just opened the bottles." He stifled a laugh as she tried to poke him again and missed entirely, hitting the couch instead. Her hair was tousled, her eyes were bright, and her dirty looks weren't nearly as intimidating as she thought they were. She was quite possibly the most adorable thing he'd ever seen. He winced internally at the word "adorable." He did _not _use words like "adorable".

When she scooted closer in an attempt to poke at him again, he caught her wrist.

"Elena," he drew her name out like a song. "I know it's difficult to remember this, but, vampire reflexes over here. No matter how many times you try, I can stop you every time."

She pouted again, and he tried not to groan.

"What brought on the change of heart?" he asked, trying to distract himself from that insanely tempting lower lip. "I mean, playing video games was your idea. I figured you'd be way too pissed to even talk to me, much less hang out after dinner."

Elena shrugged. "Well, it's obvious that I'm not going anywhere. And I know you're just trying to protect me, so I'm trying to not hold it against you." She stretched her arms up, closing her eyes and leaning back slightly. Her shirt rose up, giving him a glimpse of smooth skin above the waist of the yoga pants she'd changed into after dinner.

Please, he thought. Hold it against me. Hold _something_ against me.

"And if we're stuck here, we might as well have some fun, right?" she caught the expression on his face as she released her hands from the stretch and tugged down her shirt, hurriedly adding, "Not that kind of fun, Damon."

"I didn't say anything," he pointed out, spreading his hands wide and looking as innocent as possible. "That dirty mind of yours is all to blame."

She pushed herself forward to shove his chest, and he caught both her wrists this time, tugging her forward so that she ended up splayed on the couch, half in his lap.

"You are a terrible listener, Elena," he whispered. Their faces were inches apart, and he watched her gaze flicker from his eyes to his mouth, and back again.

"And you are developing some very bad habits. Dangerous habits."

She blushed and tried to struggle free, but he held firm. "You keep looking at my mouth, Elena," he said, keeping his voice low, his eyes flicking down to her own mouth to make his point. "What could you possibly be thinking about when you do that, hmm?"

He leaned forward and brought his lips to her ear, flicking his tongue out slowly at her earlobe.

"Maybe something like this?"

She swallowed hard and tried uselessly to scoot away again. His lips ghosted down the side of her neck to where her pulse was rapid and unsteady.

"Or this?" he murmured, his mouth hot on her neck, his lips open slightly, letting her feel the light scrape of teeth, the gentle lap of his tongue.

She shuddered, and he would have grinned in satisfaction if he hadn't been so turned on. Instead he raised his head to look at her. Her eyes were heavy and dark underneath long lashes, and she stared back at him, lips parted, drawing in a shaky breath. She leaned in, almost imperceptibly, and his grip on her wrists tightened as the space between them lessened.

"This?" he whispered, so low she wasn't sure he'd even said it aloud, and closed the distance.

Their lips met, and Elena's world converged to a single, solitary point.

_Damon_.

His mouth pressed firmly on hers, his thumbs rubbed slow circles on her wrists. The hands that had tried to push him away now clenched in his shirt, gripping the material tightly. For a moment they were still, frozen in the moment, both a little shocked at the fact that this was actually happening. Then, a sound, a small sound, in the back of her throat, at least she thought it was her throat, and her world _exploded_.

He growled, released her hands to bury his in her hair. She let out a shaky moan as he tilted his head, changing the angle. Parting her lips with his, his tongue danced out to mingle with hers, tasting the wine, the heat, and that essence that was pure Elena.

The kiss deepened, grew in intensity and urgency, and their hands followed suit. Elena unclenched her fists from Damon's shirt, slid them around his neck, into his hair. Damon gripped once more in her hair, gathering the softness in his hands, before racing down her back. When he gripped her waist, pulled her closer, she complied without even thinking, swinging a leg over his lap to straddle him fully, pressing her body against his. She felt him harden against her center, rocking up into her, and she only pressed closer. The hands that gripped her waist tightened briefly, before shoving the material of her shirt up, his fingers bruising the skin of her waist and back as his mouth plundered hers.

He was hard as iron. She was killing him, moving that body urgently against him, rocking in a rhythm that made him wish desperately that their clothes were already off. And the sounds she made, Jesus, she was the sexiest thing ever. The skin on her back was smooth as silk, and he knew he was gripping her too tightly, but couldn't bring himself to care. One swift movement had them moving forward, and her legs wrapped around his waist as he pressed her on her back, laying her down on the couch. He couldn't resist that spot on her neck, the spot that called to him, made him ache with need and desire and lust and love. He kept his fangs from releasing, not wanting to bite her…at least…not yet.

His hands pulled her shirt up further, and he groaned against her neck when he reached her breasts. She was still clutching his neck, making gasping little sounds, thrusting her hips against his, and when his thumbs grazed her nipples under her shirt, she cried out just once, his name.

It was her voice that brought him back. The voice he'd fantasized would be saying his name in pleasure, over and over; the voice that he'd dreamed would one day tell him everything he'd ever wanted to hear. Damon dragged himself away from her neck, slid his hands back down to her waist, and propped himself up slightly.

"Wait," he managed, his voice hoarse, his dick impossibly hard. She opened those gorgeous eyes to stare at him, her expression filled with lust and confusion. But he saw the instant it hit her, what they had been about to do.

Elena felt reality crashing in, and she closed her eyes briefly, unclenching her hands from his hair, but leaving them to rest on the sides of his neck. He leaned down again, touching his forehead to hers in a gesture that nearly broke her heart. They breathed raggedly in silence for a moment in that position, still tangled together, still touching, but no longer in the passion-fused haze that had come over them both minutes ago.

Then he moved off of her.

She felt the loss acutely. Though his body held no true warmth, she had felt it against hers, had felt _him_, and now that it was gone, she was cold. She sat up slowly, pushing at her hair as she watched Damon mirror the movement, and then reach for his wine glass.

She opened her mouth, but he stopped her with a look. His blue eyes pierced into hers, and in that instant, Damon conveyed every single emotion he'd sworn to never feel, and she felt tears spring to her eyes at the moment.

He grimaced. "Don't," he snapped. "You don't need to cry. I won't breathe a word of this to anyone. Including Stefan. You don't have to worry."

"No…I…Damon," she tried, her mind still blurry from wine and from the feel of his lips. He'd obviously misunderstood. Her tears were for _him_, for that moment when he'd looked into her eyes, for finally letting out the humanity she'd known was inside all along, for allowing her that brief glimpse into his soul, his _heart_. But the mention of Stefan had her faltering, and she struggled to find the words.

Damon took another long drink before standing up, and before she could even blink, he was on the other side of the room, holding his glass in one hand, a fresh bottle dangling from the other.

"I'll just be," he gestured vaguely with the bottle, "up there. I'll leave you to your guilt and self-deprecation. I'm sure it'll be a blast."

Elena felt the first tear fall, and Damon nodded.

"That's what I thought," he said mockingly, and turned lazily to make his way up the stairs.

His heart breaking with every step.

What had he expected her reaction to be? Just because she'd obviously been enjoying herself didn't mean shit. It always came back to Stefan. Damon was kidding himself by hoping for anything else. He could have had her down there on that couch. But he'd stopped it. Stopped her from making a mistake she would have regretted forever. And stopped himself from the pain of having to give her up all over again.

So, he'd do what he always did.

He'd drink, he'd feed, he'd pass out. Just another day.

* * *

Damon woke with a start and was on his feet in an instant, eyes narrowed.

Something had alerted him, some small sound buried deep in his mind. He could hear nothing, though he strained.

No.

There was something. Through the pounding of the rain outside that still came down in torrents, there was something.

An unsteady heartbeat, slowing by the second.

A hoarse choking cough, followed by a gasp of pain.

And then, her voice, barely audible.

"Damon. Help."


End file.
